Back in 1998, three 26-year-olds, Adam Balon, Richard Reed and Jon Wright, made up their minds that it was time they either left their well-paid jobs... and went into business together or stopped talking about it. Deciding that the way forward was to make it easier for busy people to be healthy, the trio bought some fruit and made smoothies, which they then tested on people at a small jazz festival in London. ‘We put up a large sign asking, “should we quit our jobs to make these smoothies?” and put out one bin saying “Yes” and another saying “No”.’ The ‘Yes’ bin filled up immediately with empty bottles and the next day they resigned from their jobs.

However, launching Innocent smoothies did not happen overnight. Experts in the food industry told them that their product was too expensive and without the use of additives, the drinks wouldn’t last long... it wasn’t until their savings were about to run out that a wealthy businessman took a leap of faith and invested in the business. Ignoring most of the advice they’d been given, Innocent then went on to create a range of drinks made from 100 percent fresh fruit and nothing else...

Their airy office in London, affectionately known as ‘Fruit Towers’, is open-plan, the ‘grass’ floors, table football games, beanbags and casually dressed trendy young staff representing the fresh feeling Innocent is trying to create... Their confidence that a quality product will sell itself appears to have paid off; despite minimal advertising, Innocent currently sells more than two million smoothies per week...